DOVER — Although turnout is slated to be high Tuesday as voters across the Granite State head off to the polls, several experts are predicting a slightly lower total than from four years ago.

“It’s going to be less than in 2008 but the total number should still be relatively high,” said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center. “Overall, there’s just less of an interest than there was four years ago.”

In 2008 — the last year presidential voting took place — approximately 719,000 ballots were cast statewide. Smith, who believes this year’s total will hover around the 700,000 mark, cited a mix of varying factors for this decline.

“When the economy’s limping along the president’s party generally tends to see a loss of voters,” he said. “And back in 2008, there was a high percentage of younger people who came out and voted — but these voters are just less interested today.”

Come Tuesday, Smith said numbers will likely be higher in Republican-affiliated towns such as Windham and Salem. On the other hand, blue-collar, working towns that typically vote Democrat, such as Berlin and Rochester, will likely see a smaller turnout. “These were the people who voted back in 2008,” Smith said. “But they may not go out and vote this year.”

Smith also cited the inactivity at UNH as another example of declining interests. “The college turnout is down significantly from 2008,” he said. “It’s a dead environment, no one’s talking about any election over here.”

Yet even if 700,000 voters cast ballots statewide tomorrow, this number — although a decline from 2008 — still represents a relatively high total for a small state.

“We could see as many as 722,000 ballots cast this year,” said William Gardner, New Hampshire’s Secretary of State. “Voting is generally pretty high every year among the state’s voting-age population.”

This is apparent in N.H.’s voting history since 1968 — a trend that has seen total numbers continue to rise during presidential elections. As Gardner explained, voting surpassed 300,000 in N.H. for the first time back in 1968. Voting was also in the 300,000s in both 1972 and 1976. And the figures have continued to rise. In 1980, ‘84, and ‘88 voting was in the 400,000s statewide. In 1992, ‘96, and in 2000 voting was in the 500,000s.

In 2004, 683,000 voters cast ballots in N.H. In 2008, the number grew again to just over 719,000.

Gardner said there’s typically three indicators officials use to estimate voter turnout. One of these is absentee ballots. On Thursday, Gardner said this statistic was down in comparison to 2008 numbers.

But, a second factor — whether voters actually believe they can make a difference — will likely bolster votes this year.

“There’s a lot more attention on N.H. this year and that could make a big difference,” he said. “It gives people something else to think about, especially knowing what happened in 2000,” he said in reference to George Bush’s narrow victory over Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore. “There could have been a different president that year if N.H. had voted differently.”

A third indicator that could help increase votes is the amount of time, attention, and resources each candidate has paid to the state. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have both made countless visits to the Granite State in the months leading up to tomorrow’s vote.

“We’ve never had both candidates come so much,” Gardner said. “They’ve both put in so much time here — even in the weekend before the election.”

And although the presidential contest is certainly the headline race, state and local elections will also be decided Tuesday. “These races are really hanging onto the tail-end of the presidential race,” Smith said. “The presidential race is the one with all the money — these other contests are going to hinge on whoever ends up coming out and voting for a president.”